Games Can Make the World Better

Jane McGonigal brought up some very power ideas in her TED Talk on how we can use the power of games and gamers solve the worlds problems.    She said that research show that most kids today will have played over 10,000 hours of games by the time they are 21.  This is the same number of hours it takes from someone to be a virtuoso at something.  She says that these gamer virtuosos have four things in common: Urgent Optimism, Social Fabric, Blissful Productivity, and Epic Meaning.  In games like World of Warcraft, many people team up everyday to solve problems and go on epic journeys in the game together.  Some of them know each other but the vast majority of them do not but they know that they can tackle tougher problems and be more productive together.  This shows many of the things that she says these virtuosos have.  How can we take these skills and apply them to the real world and education?  I do think that something like the 3D GameLab experience points track is something that taps into the acknowledging progress that successful games have.  This can be used in the learning process to give student feedback as they progress towards their goals.  So can play and learning be combined?  Yes, I think it can and has to.  I think part of the future of education lays in the created of education simulations and games that make learning individualized, relevant, interactive, and fun.